| The gaming industry has been evolving over the past decade, with the number of players and gamers increasing each day. However, because of that there was this debate whether playing video games had some benefits or it only gave distraction, especially for learners. Thus, this research aimed to investigate gamers’ perceptions on playing online games to improve their speaking skills and in what way it improves the skills. This research used a questionnaire distributed to 67 nonnative English speakers with at least 6 months of experience playing online games. The data were the gamers’ responses on their perception toward playing online games improving their speaking skills. The data then were analyzed using a mean formula. The research result showed that the participants had strong positive perception that playing online games could improve their speaking skills. Additionally, several features such as dialogues, voiceover, voice chat, and interaction with other players helped them improve their speaking skill. The result of this research will bridge a connection for multiple individuals, including language educators, game developers, and researchers. Through the connections of education and digital gaming, this research helps show a deeper understanding of how playing an interactive and immersive online game can improve language knowledge, specifically for speaking skills. |